HHS is responsible for implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as many vital social service programs including those for early-childhood education and adoption and foster care. While Price’s nomination will be controversial because of his clear desire to fully dismantle the ACA, those who support religious freedom should also have concerns.

If there’s anyone out there who still thinks the Donald Trump presidency won’t be so bad for separation of church and state, chew on this: Trump offered the job of Education Secretary to Jerry Falwell Jr.

That’s right: Trump was prepared to turn the U.S. Department of Education over to a biblical literalist who would have been absolutely unqualified for the job.

The election of Donald Trump to the presidency has renewed talk about creating some sort of national registry of Muslims entering the United States. In some versions, this is similar to the disastrous Bush database enacted after 9/11.

Though not unexpected given Trump’s campaign rhetoric over the past year and a half, the proposal is still frankly horrifying – not only because it’s a blatantly unconstitutional form of religious discrimination and persecution, but because we’ve seen this before.

Editor's Note: This post originally ran on Thanksgiving Day 2007. It was written by Joe Conn, Americans United's former director of communications. Joe, who retired in July of 2013 after a remarkable 33 years of service to AU, makes the case for being thankful for the church-state wall. Happy Thanksgiving!

By Joe Conn

When you sit down to your Thanksgiving dinner today, do you plan to say grace?

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday nominated U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to be attorney general. The attorney general serves as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, responsible for upholding our nation’s laws. Many view Sen. Sessions as a troubling choice, including those of us who fight for religious freedom.